We have now entered the pre- election phase, and the battle lines will soon be drawn over the most important issues on which the General Election will be fought.

No doubt the recession, and how to lead the nation out of it, will be one of the main issues that will be debated long and hard.

The leaders of all three main parties will no doubt have their own views. However, does it really matter which way the parties present themselves to the public? And does it matter which way the public votes?

Not really, as we always end up with ‘the government’. It’s always the same, more or less, with very few fresh ideas, always raising taxation, and always blaming the previous incumbents for any failures.

It seems that whatever the outcome of the election, the British public will pay off the huge debt that the recession has left us with.

All the parties will argue about it and compare us with other European nations. But they forget the overriding fact that our recession was led by the City, while the rest of Europe fell into recession due to manufacturing and over-capacity.

The City has now picked itself up and carries on with its huge obscene bonus culture, while the rest of us scrape along on a pittance – if we can get it.

Is it not time that the City should be tighter regulated, the bonuses used to lower the debt and a tax charge on every transaction be levied to help pay for the borrowing which we, as a nation, have had to incur, to pay for their previous greed.

It seems whichever political party is in office, neither wants to bring the system to heel. And the favoured few, as usual, are spoiling it for the rest.

It is time for the public to demand tougher taxes on the City. It is the City that got us here and it should be the City paying additional taxation to get us out.

Regarding the election campaign, the electorate needs to think what motives are behind the words and carefully ask constructive questions. It is time for candidates to listen and bring about change, because the public is sick of the same old same, year after year. Wake up Westminster, before it is too late.

Steve Plant Thorney Leys Witney